


Warrior Angel

by historyofamanda



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Shrios
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-09-22 04:30:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9583718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/historyofamanda/pseuds/historyofamanda
Summary: The love story of Amanda Shepard & Thane Krios. A story of love, family, sacrifice, heartbreak, joy, and ultimately, survival.This story will contain non-canon plot points that are very different than what occurred in the games.Warning: ME2 and ME3 spoilers will take place throughout this story, as will NSFW sections.





	1. First Sight

"So, tell me what we know about him so far." Shepard said, the door to the Normandy's airlock clicking closed behind her.

"There isn't much to know, honestly. He's a drell, a very well trained and talented assassin, born in 2146." Kasumi responded, reading off of a datapad.

"You don't see a lot of drell outside of Kahje." Shepard said thoughtfully. "Any pictures?"

"Nope." Kasumi said. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Shepard was curious, intrigued even. Thane's dossier was surprisingly light on details compared to the others they'd received.

Shepard, Kasumi, and Garrus spent the next hour fighting through Dantius Towers, killing any and all of Nassana's thugs that stood in her way.

Along the way, they uncovered two rooms containing frightened salarian workers, all led to safety by an unknown figure. The workers seemed impressed by him and even Garrus was impressed by their description of their savior's sniping talents.

The three had finally reached the top of the towers, and Nassana herself. Shepard and Garrus couldn't help but enjoy watching Nassana's panicked squirming as they attempted to figure out what they were doing in her presence again. They hadn't forgotten the dirty work Nassana tricked them into doing 2 years ago.

Shepard's mind was racing, as she saw no sign of the assassin they were looking for.

 _I suppose if I knew where he was, he wouldn’t be that great of an assassin then,_ she thought.

Her gun still drawn, she stepped back in surprise as a flash of movement landed in front of her eyes and before she could take a breath, Nassana and all of her bodyguards were dead in front of her.

Shepard was breathless as she watched the shadowy figure stop suddenly, and put his hands together.

_Is he...praying?_

For some reason, against all her better judgement, she was compelled to let him finish whatever it was he was doing. She stood quietly and patiently until he turned around to face her.

When he did, she felt her heart skip a beat in her chest and she had to fight back an audible gasp.

She glanced over him as quickly as she could without staring.  
He was tall, lean, and muscular. His dark eyes hid green eyes within. She had seen drell before so she wasn't surprised by his facial structure, the way the sides of his face caved in in a reptilian sort of way. His features were so symmetrical it was almost startling. She found herself immediately staring at one feature that caught her attention right away: his lips. They were full, with a line down the middle and she found her gaze returning back to them every few seconds.

Kasumi was standing a few feet away from Shepard, leaned up against the wall in the darkest corner of the room. She watched Shepard's face growing redder by the moment and a huge, open mouth smile fell across her face. She had to cover her smile with her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Garrus stood there puzzled, trying desperately to figure out why Shepard couldn't seem to utter a single word.

Shepard realized she had been staring far too long and cleared her throat, attempting to regain some amount of her composure.

"Mis-Mister Krios, I assume?"

Thane looked over Shepard. His thoughts raced.

_Human. About 5 feet 6 inches tall. Small frame. Purple armor..intriguing. Long hair red like blood, tied up in a ponytail. Eyes blue like the color of Kahje's oceans. Voice soft, reserved, kind. Her face is...beautiful._

He had taken an instant too long to answer her.

"Yes. Commander Shepard, I assume." He responded, nerves clear in his voice where they were not moments ago.

Kasumi had nearly fallen over from excitement over what she was witnessing. Garrus was still entirely confused.

"We've come to recruit you for a special mission, Mr.Krios." Shepard said slightly more firmly. 

Thane walked slowly closer to her, his footsteps slow and deliberate. Shepard had never seen a person who seemed so entirely in control of every move their body made.

"What kind of mission?" He responded, his voice low and gravely.  
He placed his arms behind his back, linking his hands together.

"Have you ever heard of the Collectors?" Shepard replied, suddenly extremely conscious of how her face looked as she spoke.

Thane nodded at her. "Briefly." He said.

"They're taking over human colonies, abducting humans. We need to stop them before it gets worse. We need the best, and we were told you were one of them."

Thane paused, and when Shepard watched his eyes look her over from head to toe she felt like her blood had caught fire.

Shepard's curiosity got the better of her.

"Do you mind if I ask what you were doing just then? Were you praying?"

"Yes. For the souls of the wicked."

"She was wicked." Garrus responded, but his voice was barely a hum in Shepard's ears. His answer only piqued her burning curiosity even further.

Thane had wanted to tell her right at this moment about this being his last mission, about the reasons why. But, for a reason he couldn't understand just yet, he found that he was unable to do so. All he found was how curious he was to speak to Shepard more, to be near her.

He pretended to think on the subject for a few moments, and then nodded.

He extended his hand out to Shepard.

"I will work for you, Shepard. No charge." He said, and she smiled at him. Her smile caused him to smile, almost like a reflex. He felt his face heat up, caught extremely off guard by his own actions. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled.

She took his hand to shake it and it felt like white hot electricity shot up through their arms.

"Oh, we're in trouble now." Kasumi said quietly to herself, her smile never fading.


	2. On Board

Thane, Shepard, and Jacob stood in the Normandy's com room. Jacob's arms were crossed, his brow furrowed. He had just finished expressing his distrust of Thane due to him being an assassin. Thane took the criticism calmly and politely, keeping his arms behind his back and his words short. Shepard's face flushed with anger at Jacob, but she kept her composure for the moment.

EDI explained to Thane that the Life Support deck was one of the most arid parts of the ship, and he thanked her. He looked at Shepard and their eye contact lingered for just a moment before he turned to walk away. Shepard could've sworn that she saw him smile at her before he walked away and she felt her stomach flutter.

She turned to look at Jacob and the happy feeling in her gut returned to anger. She took a deep breath.

"Excuse me Jacob, but what the hell was that?"

"Commander?" He replied.

"What right do you think you have to treat our new crew members like that? To talk down to someone you've just met? That is _not_ how we operate on this ship."

"Commander, I just don't trust his kind-"

"His kind?" Shepard spat back quickly. "Assassins, you mean? So, do you have a problem with Zaeed? A mercenary gun for hire? Samara, someone who will kill without mercy over what she perceives as the slightest injustice? Garrus, a former vigilante on Omega? Kasumi, a wanted criminal and the galaxy's best thief? You've never been so disrespectful to any of them."

Shepard saw Jacob becoming uncomfortable, a mix of fear and frustration on his face.

"Shepard, I-"

"I'm not finished." Shepard said, calmly but with a tone that quieted him immediately.

"You do realize you work for a group that has carried out acts of terrorism, right? You realize you've likely been responsible for the death of innocents, don't you? You think we don't all have our demons on this ship, things we're not proud of? I don't know about you, but the way I was trained is that we do not put down members of our own team. Like it or not, Thane is a part of our crew now and he has done nothing but be respectful and polite to you and every other member of this crew. Your behavior was unacceptable and completely uncalled for. As long as you're under my command I don't want to hear another word about your distaste for his background, is that clear?"

Jacob stood silent, defeated. A tense moment passed before he spoke.

"Yes ma'am." He said quietly.

Shepard nodded at him and walked out of the room, the door swishing behind her. 

She entered the elevator and headed up to the third floor, her heart now pounding in her chest. The beating was so loud and fast that she wondered if her heart could just fall out of her chest onto the floor.

She approached the door to the Life Support deck and hesitated, stopping just before the door clicked open. She took a deep breath, smoothed out the front of her shirt, and walked in.

Thane was sitting in a chair facing away from her, a cup of coffee in his hands.

She came up a little closer, to where she was only a few feet away from him. 

He turned to look at her and immediately, he smiled.

She felt like she was underwater, her head was positively swimming.

"Hello, Commander."

"Hi Thane, I just wanted to come by and see how you were getting settled. That, and to apologize for Jacob's behavior back in the com room. It was unacceptable and I assure you, it will not happen again."

Thane chuckled.

"It's quite alright." He said, his voice sincere. "Some people like Mr. Taylor are uncomfortable with the idea of an assassin. It is not quite as straightforward of a life as that of a mercenary or a soldier. It is a...complicated profession."

The air between them grew still. She hoped he couldn't hear her racing heart.

"Would you like to sit for a moment?" Thane said, smiling and motioning to the empty chair in front of him.

She smiled back, almost a little too widely.

"Yes, of course." She replied.

She sat down and tried to form a coherent thought from her racing brain.

"I realize I haven't asked you your first name." Thane said, breaking the silence.

"Oh, that's right! That's actually funny that you'd mention that, because almost no one on the crew has actually asked me that question. My name is Amanda."

Thane said the name in his mind over and over, enjoying the sound of it more each time.  
"Well, it is nice to meet you Amanda." He said softly, still smiling.

Shepard let out a small laugh. It was musical and echoed sweetly in his ears. Thane immediately thought that he wanted to hear her laugh again.

"Do you prefer Amanda, or Shepard?" He said.

She shrugged. "Either is fine. Most people around here call me Shepard though, I think I'm more used to it now. Your first name tends to disappear in the military."

"So, is everything working out for you okay down here? Is there anything you need?" She continued.

Thane thought for a moment, trying to figure out a request that would cause her to spend more time with him. His stomach turned with a mix of excitement and guilt as he realized what was happening to him every minute she was in his presence. He had barely known her for a day and already he couldn't help but want to have her with him as much as possible.

"If you have the time, perhaps you could take me around the Normandy? I haven't taken the time to look at everything just yet." He said, his voice slightly nervous.

"Of course!" Shepard said excitedly. "Is right now okay?"

Thane's smile grew.

"That'd be lovely."


	3. Personal Tour

Shepard and Thane stood up at the same time and Thane attempted to quickly look her over once again, this being the first time he'd seen her in casual clothes. She was wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black boots. He found himself enjoying the way the soft fabric hugged the curves of her body, the way her muscles moved underneath-

"Thane? You coming?" Shepard said, standing a few feet in front of him. He hadn't moved, he had gotten caught up looking at her.

Thane cleared his throat.  
"Yes, yes of course."

"Well, I guess we can just go through the different levels of the ship. We're on the crew deck so we can start there. You were actually the last dossier that was given to us, so everyone else that we were encouraged to recruit is already on the ship. It's a shame we couldn't recruit you earlier, I've really enjoyed having you aboard." Shepard immediately felt a pang of embarrassment at what she had just said, as Thane had only been on board a few hours.

Thane smiled at her again and their eyes locked for a moment. She felt like a bundle of nerves and electricity, all short circuiting.

"Thank you, Shepard. I've enjoyed it as well."

"Who have you met so far?" She asked.

"Zaaed, Kelly, Joker, Tali, Mordin, Garrus, Miranda, Grunt, Jack, Dr. Chakwas, EDI, and Jacob." Thane replied quickly.

"Wow, you remembered all their names that fast?" Shepard said, surprised.

"Oh, yes. Drell have perfect memories. We remember everything we've ever experienced in perfect clarity."

Shepard blinked a few times, dumbfounded. And also a bit horrified, considering the stumbling mess she was around him the first few minutes after they met.

"No kidding, really? That's incredible. I'm sorry, I probably should've looked up more information about drell before we came to recruit you. I've only met one or two other than you in passing, and that's about it."

"There is no need to apologize. We are a rare species in the galaxy these days. Many people are unaware of the details of our race."

"Do you find that benefits of the perfect memory generally outweigh the consequences?" Shepard continued.

Thane paused a moment, thinking.

"I would say yes, but perfect memory can be a burden. You remember every good memory, but every bad one as well. You can relive them anytime."

"Oh wow, yes. I can imagine how that'd be hard. Well, I certainly hope you have more good memories than bad ones. I'll try to keep all your experiences here as good as possible." She said, nerves returning to her voice.

"I'm sure that will be the case." Thane responded, smiling.

Shepard cleared her throat softly and then tried to cover her growing smile with her shirt sleeve.

"Well, it looks like the only main crew members you have left to meet are Samara and Kasumi, which is perfect because both of them are almost always on this floor. Let's go see them." She then turned to the left to open the Port Observation deck.

The door swung open and Kasumi, who was sitting on the couch in the room reading a book, looked up. Immediately a huge smile fell on her face, and Shepard's eyes pleaded with her. 

"I know you met briefly on Illium, but you never got officially introduced. This is Kasumi Goto. She's our resident master thief and my best friend. This is the Port Observation deck."

Kasumi stood up quickly and reached her hand out to Thane. 

"Nice to meet you, Mr.Krios."

"Likewise, Ms. Goto."

"Thane asked me to take him around the Normandy, so I'm just giving him the tour."

"Well, this is my humble abode during my time on the ship." Kasumi said, motioning her arms out widely to her sides. Her eyes darted between Shepard and Thane, watching them closely.

"Shepard spends lots of time in here with me, so if you can't find her there's a good chance she's in here." Kasumi said, a mischievous grin on her face. 

Thane laughed softly.  
"That's good to know." He said.

 _Is she...helping me flirt with him? I'm so going to kill her later._ Shepard thought, grateful on some level, but also a bit mortified.

Kasumi settled back onto the couch.  
"Good to meet you Thane! Enjoy the rest of the tour, you two." She said, a smile never leaving her face as she picked the book she was reading back up.

"Thanks, K." Shepard said, and when Thane turned around Shepard made a throat cutting to motion to Kasumi before they left the room. Kasumi let out a big laugh as soon as the doors swung shut.

Thane saw Shepard's cheeks turning pinker by the second. This fascinated him, as he had never seen this in a human before and it definitely was not something that happened to female drell. He told himself to remember to look up why that happened later.

"Kasumi is far more outgoing than I would expect someone in her line of work to be. I like her." Thane said playfully.

"She's the best." Shepard said, with genuine compassion in her voice. "She was the first person we recruited and we became best friends almost instantly. She's truly one of the kindest, sweetest, funniest people you'll ever meet. I'm so grateful for her."

Thane enjoyed watching Shepard speak fondly about her friend. Seeing the joy on her face comforted him.

"Across the hall here is the Starboard Observation Deck, where Samara usually is. Samara is an asari justicar."

"Impressive. I was under the impression that there are very few justicars in the galaxy." Thane replied.

"You're correct. Samara is a rare and invaluable addition to our crew. Every one of our crew members are, really." Shepard said, daring to look right in his eyes and smile.

Thane returned her smile and felt his a knot in his stomach grow, the feeling pleasant but almost overwhelming. Guilt washed over him as well. There was so much she didn't know, so much he couldn't bear to tell her just yet. He wanted to let himself enjoy how wonderful he felt right now. How...alive.

The doors to the Port Observation Deck whooshed open and Samara was standing at the edge of the wide window, watching the stars.

"Hello, Shepard."

"Hi Samara. I wanted to introduce you to our newest crew member. This is Thane Krios, I'm giving him a tour of the ship."

Thane reached out and shook Samara's hand.

"It is an honor to meet a justicar. It is not something I thought I would ever have the opportunity to do."

Samara smiled.

"Thank you. It is good to meet you, Thane. I have not met many drell in my travels. Many of them are still on the Hanar homeworld, are they not?"

"Yes, they are." Thane said.

"It's a planet I hope to visit one day, I've heard the oceans are beautiful."

"They absolutely are." Thane replied, and Shepard saw his eyes become distant for a moment, as if lost in a memory. He snapped out of it quickly and returned to his pleasant expression.

"Well, if there is anything I can ever do for you feel free to let me know. I shall return to my meditations now, if there is nothing else the two of you need."

"Sounds good. See you later, Samara." Shepard said, Thane saying goodbye with a nod.

They exited the room and Shepard spent the next few hours taking Thane around the entire ship, introducing him to the crew and getting him familiar with the layout. They were now standing alone, looking out the window on the engineering deck to the shuttle bay below. They were standing close enough to each other where their fingers were almost touching. 

"The only room left on the ship is my cabin." Shepard said, her heart still pounding. "We've been talking to people all day but I'd still love to have some time to chat with just you. Would you like to come up and talk some more?"

Her mind was still buzzing with questions. She was overwhelmed with curiosity about the handsome, quiet drell that had joined her crew and she couldn't wait to know more.

Thane looked at her blushed cheeks and felt a warmth in his chest. He had spent all afternoon with her but couldn't bear the thought of her leaving him yet. 

"I'd like that very much."


	4. Us

Shepard walked through the doors to her cabin first, Thane following right behind her.

He stood in front of the doors and looked around. He noticed the little ways she had made the space her own. She had some artwork up on the walls. Human art he was unfamiliar with, but he found pleasant to look at.

A pair of silver hoop earrings were on the nightstand next to her bed. Alongside them, a tube of chapstick, a bottle of cherry scented lotion, a half drunk bottle of water. He looked to his right and saw a fluffy hamster in a cage, sleeping in the corner. 

"This is very nice." He said quietly.

"Yeah, it was way more than I was expecting." Shepard began. "I was perfectly fine bunking with the rest of the crew. Please, sit." She said, motioning to the couch.

"Thank you." Thane said, sitting near where the two ends of the couch intersected.

Shepard sat on the end closest to her desk, crossing her legs in a meditation-like pose. Thane thought her choice to sit like that was adorable and unexpected.

Shepard realized she felt surprisingly comfortable around him even though her stomach was in knots. She watched the way the tight fabric of his clothes moved and hugged his skin as he sat down, trying her best not to gape. She couldn't recall ever being so attracted to anyone before.

"So, tell me about yourself Thane." She said sweetly. She pulled her sweater sleeves up past her knuckles and put her hands in front of her mouth, waiting.

Thane exhaled deeply and stretched out his arms in front of them. Shepard didn't mind the sight one bit.

Thane felt like his insides were twisted, guilt tearing him up inside. He wanted nothing more than to tell her everything, to confide in her. She had been kinder to him in the last day than anyone had been in years. He felt like evading the truth was the same as lying. But he couldn't bring himself to do it yet.

"You first." He said, trying to build up his nerves.

"Hmm, okay. Well, I grew up on military ships, I went to Earth for the first time when I was 13 but never lived there. Both my parents are in the Alliance and so were their parents, so military is basically in our blood. I'm a sentinel, so I'm a biotic but I also love technology so I got both biotic and tech training during my time in the N7 program. You're a biotic too, aren't you?"

"Yes I am." Thane replied. "I've seen your biotics in action, they're quite impressive. You use them as an artist would use a paintbrush, smooth and calculated and... beautiful."

Thane watched her cheeks grow bright pink again, enjoying the way the flush on her skin brought out the blue in her eyes.

"Well, thank you very much. You're quite impressive yourself." She replied, her voice smooth and soft.

Thane smiled widely, and they both looked down when the eye contact became more than their hearts could stand.

"I began my training as an assassin at age 6. The hanar saw potential in me and began my training early."

"Wow, 6! That's so young. Was that training frightening for you at such a young age?"

"No. They train fear out of you quickly, and by the time I was a teenager I had made my first kill. They honed my biotic skills and fostered my interest in sniper rifles."

Thane wanted to get the conversation off of himself, so he looked around the room for something to change the subject to.

"Do you mind if I ask what those paintings are on the wall? They're fascinating." He asked.

Shepard perked up, and turned to look at the walls. Thane took this opportunity to take another look at her. He gaze ran down the side of her neck, taking in the smoothness of her skin. He fought back the overwhelming urge to touch her, to find out how her neck would taste on his lips. He was almost dizzy with desire, so much so that he didn't hear her when next spoke.

Realizing this, he blinked a few times to regain his composure.   
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Shepard smiled, realizing he had been looking her up and down. She looked down at the exposed skin on Thane's chest and slowly moved her gaze upwards until their eyes met again. The tension in the silent room was deafening.

"They're-um-Picasso. Pablo Picasso, a 20th century painter. He's my favorite. His work is so abstract, so beautiful, so unique."

"You like art?" He asked, nearly breathless.

"I love art. I'm not very artistic myself, so it's just the most amazing thing to me when people can create something so beautiful from nothing."

She looked lovingly at her paintings, and then their eyes locked again.

Shepard glanced at the clock next to her bed.

"Oh man, it's almost nine o clock. We missed dinner. You hungry?" She said with a laugh.

Thane's stomach had been so jumbled up the whole time he'd been with her that he just realized he was starving.

"Now that you mention it, I am." Thane said. "Did you have something in mind?"

Shepard smiled and stood up.

"The kitchen should be empty by now, I'd be happy to make us something."

"That'd be wonderful, thank you Shepard."

As hungry as he was, food was the furthest thing from his mind at that moment, he found himself fixated on one word she had said.

_Us._


	5. World Famous

"Any food restrictions I should know about? Anything special that drell can't eat?" Shepard said, pulling out pans from the cabinets by her feet. They were now in the empty mess hall, and Thane was sitting at one of the tables while Shepard prepped in the kitchen. 

"No, drell don't have any special diets or need dextro-amino based foods like turians or quarians. Anything you make would be much appreciated. Can I help in any way?"

"Nope, just keeping me company is the best thing you can do."

"My pleasure." He said, smiling at her.

They had been together for about 5 hours straight now but to them it felt like it had been only minutes. 24 hours ago Thane had been planning his final job, and had no idea what the immediate future held for him after his task had been finished. Now he found himself hopelessly entranced by a woman he barely knew and a familiar, wonderful, and terrifying fire building inside him that he hadn't felt in so many years. It was more than he knew how to deal with.

Suddenly, he went into a brief coughing fit, and cleared his throat rapidly to try to make it appear less serious.

 _Not now,_ he pleaded with himself.

Shepard turned around from the stove, concern on her face.

"Thane, are you alright?"

"I am fine. My apologies."

Shepard approached him with a glass of water in her hand.

"Here, this'll help."

"Thank you, Shepard." Thane said gratefully, quickly taking a gulp of the water to calm his throat.

The smell of their dinner filled the room. It was warm, comfortable, and delicious. His stomach growled in anticipation.

He marveled in his current view, seeing the curves of her body from behind. She had put her hair up into a messy bun, with a few strands of red hair framing her face. He found himself falling more in love with the color red by the second.

"Alright, here we go!" Shepard said excitedly, placing two bowls down on the table. 

"It's an Earth dish, Italian. It's pasta with a tomato, onion, and meat sauce. My dad and I used to make it all the time when I was growing up. We called it our "World Famous." It's one of my favorites."

Thane took a bite of the dish. It was savory, rich, and hearty. He was very pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. 

"This is marvelous, Shepard. I've never tasted anything like it before."

Shepard blew on a bite she had prepared on her fork.

"Thank you so much! So glad to hear it."

They sat in silence across from one another for a few moments. It was a comfortable, easy silence, both of them happy to be in each other's company.

"Thank you for everything today. The tour, the chat, dinner. Today has been one of the best days I've had in a very long time."

Shepard smiled brightly at him, her cheeks rosy.

"I can say the same thing. I'm so glad to have you on board, Mr. Krios."

They finished up their food and Thane helped Shepard clean up their plates.

Shepard walked Thane to the doors of the Life Support deck and they both stopped. A sadness fell between them as they realized they now had to part.

"If you ever need anything feel free to call me in my cabin or come by any time."

"And the same to you. Sleep well, Shepard."

"Good night, Thane." Shepard said softly, her heart beat finally slowing down as he walked away from her.

She leaned up against the wall next to the door and put her face in her hands her face, exhaling loudly.

She turned to her left and knocked on the door to the Port Observation deck. The doors clicked open and Kasumi was standing behind them, her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Well, hello Commander. How are we doing tonight?" Kasumi said.

"Oh my god, Kasumi. I think I'm going to throw up or pass out or die or something. I've known Thane Krios for less than 24 hours and I'm pretty sure I'm in love with him."

"Oh, I knew that the second you two first looked at each other. I think you've set a new record for the fastest I've seen someone fall in love." Kasumi replied, sitting down on her couch with her arms spread out to her sides.

Shepard laughed and put her head down, embarrassed but relieved.

"Come on, sit down and tell me everything."


	6. Dry

A few weeks had passed since Thane's first day on the Normandy. The less him and Shepard were around each other, the more nervous they became when they did see each other again. Both of them were often consumed by thoughts of that first night. The tour, the talking, dinner, and plenty of long looks at one another.

They both had been busy since Thane joined the crew. Lately, Shepard had been off at Tuchanka for a few days helping Mordin find his former student, Maelon and helping Grunt complete his rite of passage. Thane was awed when he found out Grunt, Shepard, and Garrus had taken down a thresher maw during the rite. Her unbelievable combat and leadership skills impressed him more each day. Thane had been busy filling out reports, aiding other crew members on various tasks and honing his sniping skills.

They had not another spent a full day together since the first day he was on board. Since then, their interactions had mostly been stolen glances from across the room and an occasional hello in passing.

He ached to spend more time with her, but the constant duties of working on a warship had simply kept them apart. Often they had opposite schedules and simply missed seeing each other despite living on the same ship. Some nights before he went to sleep he heard her entering the Port Observation Deck and the greetings between her and Kasumi before the doors closed behind her.

Most nights he wondered what they were talking about, hearing muffled laughter through the door every once in a while. 

Something strange happened to him during the days she was off the Normandy, coming in only to sleep at night. He found that the days she was away, he felt an ache in his chest. He realized that missed her. He wondered if she missed him too.

He found himself unable to get up the nerve to call her in her quarters, even though he desperately wanted to talk to her. He didn't want to disturb her, to be too forward.

It was early one evening when Thane decided to meditate. It had been some time since he had done this, but speaking to Samara about her own meditation practices had given him a desire to pick it up again himself. He found the meditation gave him a peace of mind that was difficult to find most days.

He laid down a soft blanket on the floor of the Life Support Deck and then sat down, his legs crossed. He laid his arms flat on his legs and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and embraced the complete silence in the room. His mind almost immediately flickered to thoughts of blue eyes, to long red hair and a soft smile-

_Thump thump thump._

Thane's eyes opened the second he heard the knock on the door.

"Come in." He said, a bit loudly to make sure whoever it was could hear.

"Hi Thane." He heard a familiar voice say, and he felt heat rising into his face immediately.

"Shepard." He said, not turning around but a smile growing on his face.

He turned to look at her and immediately felt like he might fall over even though he was sitting down.

She looked nervous, a bit reserved, but...happy to see him, he thought.

Her heart pounded in her chest and she almost immediately felt light-headed. She couldn’t believe what just being in the same room as him could do to her.

"Is this a bad time?" She asked.

"No, not at all. Please, come in."

Shepard was holding a device he had never seen before in both hands. It was a small, white circular device with a switch on it and lines in the center.

"What's that you've got?" Thane asked curiously.

Shepard set it down on the table and turned to him.

"Well, I heard from EDI that you mentioned to her that it was a bit more humid in here than you'd like, so I added a dehumidifier to the procurement list last week. We picked it up when we stopped on the Citadel this afternoon to get supplies. It should suck most of the moisture out of the room, hopefully that makes you more comfortable."

Thane was extremely touched by the gesture, but he also ached with guilt. He had still not told her about his Kepral's syndrome, and he knew he was running out of time to tell her. He felt a lump in his throat as he looked at her. He stood up to face her. Her expression was kind and patient, waiting for a response from him.

"Thank you Shepard. That was very kind of you, I appreciate it very much." He said, attempting a small smile.

"Of course, I hope it helps you." She smiled back. She looked around for an outlet to plug the dehumidifier into, then plugged it in and flipped on the switch. It made a very quiet hum as it began to work.

"I'm sure it will." Thane replied.

"I feel like I haven't really seen you much lately, how have you been?" Shepard asked. She knew it had been far too long since she saw him in her mind.

"I have been well, and yourself? I heard of your heroic feats on Tuchanka."

Shepard let out a small laugh.

"Ha, thank you. It felt great to help Grunt with his rite of passage, I can already tell he's doing much better. It was great to see Wrex again too! He's the leader of the clan Grunt was made a part of, and he was part of my team that stopped Saren a few years ago. Killing a thresher maw though? A massive, deadly space worm? Not so great." She said, laughing louder this time.

Thane marveled in her laugh, he felt weak every time he heard it.

"That's quite an achievement." Thane said, watching the way small lines appeared on her chin when she smiled, the blush that he loved so much growing on her cheeks. He adored each and every way her face moved when she was happy.

"What were you up to? I'm sorry if I interrupted you." Shepard said.

"No need to apologize, I was just meditating."

"Oh, like Samara does?" 

"Exactly. She inspired me to get back into it."

"Is it something you could teach me how to do?"

Thane's heart jumped. Anything for more time with her.

"Absolutely. Please, join me."

Thane sat down where he just was and Shepard sat down next to him. They both sat cross-legged and Shepard looked to him for further instruction.

"So, what I usually do is I sit with my legs crossed like this and lay my arms flat on my legs. Keeping your back and head straight are key. If you follow that posture correctly, it will stretch your muscles and it has a calming effect."

 _I could use a little calming right now,_ she thought.

Shepard followed his instructions.

"Now, shut your eyes and breathe in and out, slowly."

The second she shut her eyes she frantically relied on her other senses to keep track of Thane's movements the best she could. She felt a tingling in her face, overwhelmed by the scent of him and how close he now was to her. His voice alone was enough to render her helpless, the sound of it tingled in her ears.

Thane should have been doing exactly what she was doing, but he couldn't waste this opportunity to look at her. He rarely got an interrupted chance to look at her face. He stared at her smooth, pink lips and the way her cheekbones framed her face. He watched her chest rise and fall with her breathing, the way her legs curved.  
She opened her eyes and looked at him. This caught him off guard, as it was now clear he had not been meditating along with her.

Thane felt a familiar tickle in his throat and despite him desperately trying to ignore it, he started coughing. This fit last far longer than he had hoped, and he watched the concern on Shepard's face grow by the second.

"Are you alright?" She said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

He was too upset by what had just happened to fully enjoy their sudden physical contact.

He let out a small, final cough and put his head down, defeated.

"Forgive me."

She took her hand away and looked at him. Her face was filled with worry. 

He couldn't wait anymore.

"Shepard, there is something I need to tell you."


	7. Discover

Thane and Shepard were still seated on the blanket he had set down on the floor. Shepard stared at his face, desperate with anticipation.

Thane let out a deep breath, his head down and his eyes closed.

"Shepard, I have a respiratory disease called Kepral's Syndrome. The drell homeworld Rakhana is, well, was, a very arid world. The Hanar were kind and gracious enough to take in millions of my people, but their homeworld has an opposite climate of our own. It always rains on Kahje, always. The humid climate causes Kepral's, which ends up eroding your lungs, and making it difficult to breathe. It...it is killing me."

Shepard was speechless. She felt all the air go out of her lungs. Her head felt heavy and her cheeks burned.

"No. No, no no. That can't be." She said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thane, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Thane kept his head down, too ashamed to look her in the eyes.

"I am sorry, Shepard. I, couldn't find the strength to tell you. I have enjoyed our time together so much that I couldn't bear the thought of ruining it with such unpleasant news."

"Thane, you know you can always tell me anything. If there's anything else, please, please just tell me now."

Thane finally looked up at her and when his eyes met hers, it pained him the same as if he were staring directly into the sun.

"I have never been afraid to die, Shepard. I always knew Kepral's would take my body at some point. But meeting you has…changed my perspective."

Despite the ache in her gut, his words caused her heart to flutter.

He paused for a long moment.

"I had a wife once. I still have a son."

She wasn't necessarily surprised to hear this, as she knew Thane was eight years older than her. She found herself just more curious to hear more.

"Tell me about them." Shepard said quietly.

"Kolyat is my son's name. He is grown now. He is quiet, reserved. Thoughtful, intelligent, soft-spoken. Planes. He loves planes. He always said he wanted to be a pilot one day."

Thane's voice grew low.

"We have not spoken in so many years."

"One night I was moments away from completing a job, and before I had the chance, a woman stepped in front of my target. Her name was Irikah. She looked right at me, and it was as if she saw through me. I was stunned, entranced. I had to meet her. I begged for her to forgive me, and eventually, she loved me. We made a life together, made our son."

Shepard saw Thane’s face harden from pain.

"I was rarely home, always working. I should've been home with them more. Work constantly kept me away. Some associates of one of my contracted kills murdered Irikah while she slept in our home. Kolyat was not there that night, he had been staying at a friend's that night. He blames me for her death, and he is right in doing so."

He took another long pause.

"I have never killed of my own desire, my body has simply been a tool used for killing as others request it. Tracking down my wife's killers was the one and only time I killed for myself. Their deaths were not quick, as the ones I carry out usually are."

Shepard was overwhelmed by the amount of information she had just received, but all she could be certain she felt was sympathy and compassion. She felt a protective sense wash over her, and she couldn’t stand seeing him in so much pain.

"I-I am so sorry, Thane. Irikah sounds like an absolutely wonderful person and I am so sorry you lost her. And Kolyat, he sounds like such a wonderful person too. I'm sure we can find a way to bring you two back together."

Thane was surprised, by Shepard's reaction. He did not expect her to attempt to comfort him the way she had. He was deeply moved by her instant compassion towards his son. His heart ached thinking about how much he missed him. He watched a tear fall down Shepard's cheek, and fought the urge to wipe it away.

"I am sorry I did not tell you any of this earlier, Shepard. I deeply regret it, but I could not bear the idea of causing you pain."

"Oh Thane, you don't need to apologize to me. I only wish you had told me sooner so I could've started to help you earlier."

"There is nothing you need to do, Shepard. I have-"

"Of course there is." Shepard's voice was gaining back its strength although her mind was racing.

"Listen to me. My father is a doctor in the Alliance, and a damned good one. He's an amazing surgeon and has ties all over the galactic medical community. I'm going to call him tonight and ask what he can do to get you treated for your disease. Even though I may not agree with everything Cerberus is doing, for now I'm more than willing to take their help and their money if Cerberus and my father combined can make you well again. I’ll do whatever it takes you make you well.”

She took a breath and looked into his eyes, hers still teary.

"If Cerberus could put me back together basically from nothing, there's no way I'm going to let Kepral's take you away from me. That is just not going to happen."

Thane was so overwhelmed by her words that he couldn't stand just looking at her one more moment.

He kissed her.

The kiss was hard, deep, and filled with every emotion possible. A moment of instant attraction followed by a month of falling for each other culminated in this moment and both of their heads were absolutely swimming. Thane touched her cheek and he couldn’t believe how warm her skin felt, how unbelievably soft her lips were on his.

Shepard pulled Thane in closer to her by the back of his head, deepening their kiss even more.

Their lips parted slightly as the kiss softened, them now taking the chance to discover each other's lips even more.

Both of their hearts pounded and raced as they felt the relief of the moment wash over them.

When they finally pulled apart, their lips were still only inches away and their foreheads were touching. Both of them had not yet opened their eyes. They both felt like maybe this was a dream and that if they opened their eyes, it might end.

Shepard felt dizzy. She exhaled softly, her hand wrapped gently around the back of his neck. She blinked, and another tear fell before she spoke.

"I'm never letting you go."


	8. A Start

Shepard sat at her desk in her cabin. She felt herself trembling as she picked up the phone and dialed her father's number. Thane had kissed her only minutes ago, and her lips tingled from numbness from kissing him for so long. She still felt breathless, overwhelmed by how deeply she cared for him. Now that she knew he returned her feelings and now that he had told her everything, she felt an unending fire of determination to make him well again. 

She couldn't help but feel like once their lips met, they were tied together in a way she wasn't sure she understood yet. She felt silly thinking it, but it was almost as if expressing their feelings to one another was something that was always supposed to happen.

The first thing Shepard did when she came aboard the Normandy SR-2 for the first time was call her parents. She would never forget watching the relief and joy on her parents’ faces when they discovered she was alive. Many happy tears fell that day. 

The phone rang once, twice, three times, and then clicked.

"Shepard here." Her father's voice answered.

"Hi Dad, it's me. How are you?"

"Amanda! It's so good to hear from you. I'm just fine. How's my girl?"

"I'm good. Busy, as you know."

"I know. Your mother and I are so proud of you. We support you 100%, no matter what. Even though both of us are in the Alliance, we trust you that you're doing the right thing working with Cerberus. The Alliance is just sitting on their ass doing nothing about the Reaper threat right now, and of course you'd be the one to not take no for an answer and find a way to make things right."

Shepard felt a warmth in her chest. She missed her parents very much, but was always comforted by their trust in her.

"Thank you, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too. So, did you need something?"

"Yes, actually. So, last month we recruited a new crew member to the Normandy. His name is Thane Krios, he's a drell."

"Drell, hmm? You don't see too many of those outside of Kahje these days."

"Yeah. Well, see, Thane just told me today that he has a disease call Kepral's Syndrome. Have you heard of it?"

"Yes, in fact I have. Lung disease, right?"

"Yes." Shepard began to choke on her words slightly as tears filled her eyes.

"Dad, listen, I...I can't let this disease take Thane. Cerberus rebuilt me from absolutely nothing so I refuse to believe that a lung disease will kill him. Apparently, it's one of the leading causes of death in drell and that just breaks my heart. Please tell me there's something you can do to help him...please."

Shepard's father noticed the change in his daughter's voice right away.

"Is this Thane someone...special to you?"

Shepard sniffed, her heart aching.

"...Yes, he is."

Her father paused a few moments." 

"Well then if he's important to you, he's important to me. As soon as we hang up I'll call my contacts on Kahje and see where we can get started."

Tears rolled down Shepard's cheeks and she smiled.

"Thank you Dad. Thank you so so much. You have no idea what this means to me."

"Kepral's or not, you tell him I said if he does anything to hurt you it won't be the disease that kills him." He said teasingly.

Shepard laughed, still crying, but now from relief rather than sadness. 

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please tell mom I'm okay and that I love her."

"Anything for you. We love you too, call anytime."

"Okay. Bye Dad."

"Goodbye."

The line clicked off, and Shepard let herself cry into her shirt sleeve for a few minutes before wiping her eyes and standing up.

She felt restless, but didn't know what to do at the moment. She was completely overwhelmed by everything she felt, everything that the day had brought.

She laid down on her bed for a moment, and before she knew it she had fallen asleep.

She woke up a few hours later and checked the time. It was around 1 am. She looked across the room and saw a green light flickering on her private terminal.

She sat back down at her desk and opened her messages.

"From: Thomas Shepard  
Subject: Thane

Amanda,

Heard back from my contacts at Kahje. They're currently doing a research study on Kepral's that has been kept private from the public, as they're still in the relatively early testing phases of their official prototype. Kepral's is a very personal project for the hanar researchers because of their obvious compassion for the drell, and apparently they've been working on this for several years. However, their research seems promising and it appears that they may be able to reverse the symptoms of the disease just enough for a lung transplant to be a viable option. Luckily, one of the human assistants to the head researcher happens to be an old friend of mine and he told me he'd be happy to bring Thane in as a test subject. If they're successful, I'd be happy to do Thane's lung transplant myself. The second you mentioned Kepral's to me, I remembered hearing from him about the research he had been working on a year or two again and hoped I was remembering what research it was correctly. If Thane is interested, he'd have to be gone for at least a few months while they get him taken care of. Let me know right away if this is something Thane wants to do.

Love,  
Dad"

Shepard's heart soared. 

She picked up her phone and dialed the number for the Life Support Room.

The two rings before Thane picked up felt like the longest moment of her life.

"Hello?"

"Thane, hi, it's Shepard." She said, brimming with excitement.

"Shepard, hello." Thane replied, his voice immediately perking up.

Shepard realized in her excitement she had completely forgotten the time. "I'm so sorry, I didn't even realize how late it is. Did I wake you?"

"No, I was awake. Having a little trouble sleeping after such an…exquisite day." He said sweetly.

Shepard felt her heart racing at his words. She was aching to kiss him again.

"Can you please come up to my cabin? I have something very important to talk to you about."

"Of course, I'll be right there." Thane said, curious and intrigued by her excitement.

Tears poured down Shepard's face once again. She couldn't believe that this was even possible, that there was a chance to make Thane better. Even it wasn't something that was certain, it was a start.


	9. Thoughtful

Shepard sat in the chair at her desk, spinning back and forth to let some of her nervous energy out. She was buzzing with excitement.

She heard a knock on the door and walked up to open it.

Thane stood in front of her, his eyes filled with joy and curiosity.

He began to say something to her, but she quickly and excitedly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He melted into her kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him. Their lips didn't part for several minutes.

When they finally took a moment to catch their breath, Shepard put her head down and laughed, her eyes still teary.

"This is not what I called you up here for, I swear." She said.

"I wouldn't have minded one bit if it was." Thane replied, the tone of his voice making her head spin.

"Please, come sit." Shepard said, taking his hand and leading him to the couch.

They sat down and Shepard sat with one leg tucked underneath her, her posture nervous all over. Thane sat forward with his hands linked together and up against his mouth, waiting on her to speak. He smiled behind his hands, still reeling over the fact that he could kiss this beautiful woman whenever he wanted to. 

Shepard took a breath, and scooted closer to Thane.

"Thane, I spoke to my father today. He knows someone who is part of a secret research project that's trying to cure Kepral's. He said their research seems promising and that they might be able to reverse the symptoms of the disease just enough so you could get a lung transplant. They're willing to take you as a subject and my father said if they're successful that he'd even do the lung transplant himself. If my dad says the research is promising, I know he means it. Thane, they can save you."

Thane couldn't speak. He felt like all of the air in the room had been sucked out. He took a few moments to process what he had just heard. For so long, he had accepted the inevitability of his early death, that his end would be out of his control and likely, painful. He looked into Shepard's eyes and his heart ached with every emotion he could think of. Looking at her, he felt like he had met an angel who, after such a short amount of time, had already began to save him in ways he never thought possible. His eyes filled up with tears.

"Shepard...I. Thank you. Thank you so much. I am lost for words, other than to say I cannot express how much this means to me. " 

A tear fell down Thane's cheek and Shepard wiped it away softly with her hand. Thane took his hand in hers and kissed it gently. Thane and Shepard stood up at the same time. They moved into each other's arms, Shepard wrapping her arms around his waist. They stood there, crying silently with smiles on their faces as every thought possible raced through their minds.

They pulled apart slightly, still holding each other. Shepard's teary gaze met Thane's and they looked at one another silently for a moment.

"You are...more than I could have ever dreamed of, Shepard. I have only known you a short time, but you have changed my life. I am so grateful for you."

"Oh, Thane." Shepard sighed, her heart full. He kissed her again, gently and with all the sweetness in the world.

Shepard, still in Thane's arms, laid her head on his chest. His heart was racing and she smiled as she listened to it thump away. 

"Can you forward me your father's contact information? I would like to thank him personally."

"Of course." Shepard replied, excited by the thought of them communicating. She paused for a moment to think.

"I'm sure they can take you in for the treatment immediately, but they said you would have to be gone for a few months." She said.

They pulled apart from each other and Thane looked down at the ground, thoughtful. He was saddened by the idea of having to be apart from Shepard again now that they were growing closer, but he knew it'd be a small price to pay for a lifetime by her side.

"Yes, of course. However, there are a few things I must do before I leave for the treatment."

"Of course. What can I do to help you? Anything you need." Shepard said, her eyes bright.

Thane smiled at her and touched her cheek. He never ceased to be moved by her unwavering kindness towards him, one of her many traits that he loved so much.

Thane sat back down on the couch and hunched over, taking a big breath and exhaling deeply. Shepard watched him from where he had just been standing, concern on her face.

He sat up straight and looked right into Shepard's eyes. His gaze pierced her soul, telling her so much without a single word.

"Before I do anything else, I need to make amends with my son."

Shepard smiled at him, her heart filled with joy at his words.

"Then let's get started."


End file.
